Northwest Girls Will Defend Titles at State Track Meet

There are many reasons Northwest High School girls will probably parlay their speedy history into success at the Maryland outdoor track and field championships this weekend, but here are two: 1) They finished second in the 4A division at last year, and 2) senior Olivia Ekponé.

Ekponé ran one of the fastest quarter-mile races in the meet’s history last year. Her winning 400-meter time of 53.60 seconds was milliseconds shy of the meet record (53.22).

Ekponé will defend her state titles in the 100, 200 and 400. Two other quarter milers for Northwest will enter the state meet at sub-minute speed: freshman Tiara Wellman (59.50) and junior India Knight (58.98), who placed seventh at state last year.

Also competing in individual events for the Jaguar girls are half-milers Naomi Sheppard, a freshman (2:21.89), and senior Britt Eckerstrom, who enters the state meet with the top time of 2:12.45. Eckerstrom placed third in the 800 last year.

The Jaguar relays will be defending state titles, as well. The team enters the state meet with the fastest times in the 4x100 (49.41) and 4x200 (1:39.89) — a title they’ll be defending. Northwest’s 4x200 relay team won last year’s state competition with a time of 1:41.88.

In the field, freshman long jumper Kendra Meredith rounds out Northwest’s state roster.

The Jaguars will also be defending state titles in the 4x400 (3:48.28) and the 4x800. Northwest’s 4x400 squad entered the second-fastest time, 3:57.03. Old Mill was seeded first, at 3:55. The 4x800 team enters the state meet with the second-fasted time, 9:27.62 — less than three-tenths of a second behind top-seeded Severna Park.

The Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association is hosting the state championships at Morgan State University through Saturday, May 28. Class 1A and 2A schools will compete today and Saturday; Class 3A and 4A schools compete on Friday and Saturday.

Other athletes from Germantown competing at the state track tournament include:

Northwest High School boys, division 4A

• Chris Miller, senior — 1600 meter run, 3200 meter run
• Sheldon Trotman, senior— high Jump, long jump, triple jump
• Relays — 4x400 meters, 4x800 meters

Seneca Valley High School girls, division 3A

Virgina Owusu-Mainoo, junior — shot put, discus